Group Insurance Trust

Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust

The Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust is established under Section 12 of Chapter 32B of the Massachusetts General Laws for the joint purchase of insurance. The duly elected Board of Councilors of HCG act as the Trustees. The towns, cities, fire districts, regional school districts, water districts, and Community Development Corporations are members of the Trust. The employees are not members of the Trust but employees of the member units. Each member unit recognizes that it must provide the same rates and health insurance products to all subsidiaries, groups or classes of employees within the unit unless otherwise charged by a collective bargaining agreement.

The goal of the Trust is to deliver the highest possible level of health insurance benefits at the lowest consistent price.

The strategy of the Trust is to seek attractively valued HMO and PPO plans that encourage early treatment, and at the same time are cost effective for both employees and employers. This strategy includes minimizing the types of plans by placing as much of the risk under medical management as possible, and the utilization of an ever-expanding Wellness Initiative that is designed to improve employee health through prevention.

There are 70 member units located in Hampshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Worcester Counties. The Trust provides health insurance coverage to over 11,000 active and retired municipal employees and their eligible dependents.